In a career spanning six decades, photographer Gered Mankowitz has nurtured trusting relationships with many of the twentieth century’s defining artists. As he celebrates his 80th birthday, Mankowitz opens up about the stories behind iconic images of Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Annie Lennox and others that have have become indelible parts of pop culture history.
Elton John, London, 1977
‘The original concept was to create a series of sporting “bloopers” – ripping the cloth on a snooker table, scoring an own goal, and so on - but we only shot the cricket one. Elton arrived at the shoot with the pink shoes which we all thought was a lovely and very Elton touch. I think he wanted to share his sense of humor and seemed to enjoy the shoot’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Marianne Faithfull, Dublin, 1998
‘Marianne was living in Dublin at the time and I went over to spend the weekend with her. We did several set-ups but this particular series with the red suit and against the stark background captured something special about her at that moment. Sadly, her manager rejected the session and it was never published, but I always loved the shot and featured it in my books and exhibitions. Eventually, many years later, Marianne embraced it and told me that she thought it captured that time perfectly’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Duran Duran, London, 1981
‘For my first exhibition at the Photographers Gallery in London, I wanted to feature my “tip for the top” and Duran Duran were top of the list. They were fabulous – very cooperative and creative – and we went on to shoot another couple of times, including the image that was used for their Girls on Film single cover later that year’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Suzi Quatro, London, 1973
‘The “leader of the gang” look came out of discussions with Suzi and her producer Mickie Most and was the theme for our early shoots together. This shot was from our first session and was to promote her single Can the Can. Suzi was feisty and tough but had an innocence to her. That gave the image an allure that was a stark contrast to the protective posture of the band – look at me but don’t come too close!’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Joan Jett, London, 1980
‘Was she excited? I’m not sure I’d say that! She was rather quiet and low key but embraced my ideas. I was shooting for a magazine and I wanted an understated punk glamor, which I felt came across’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
The Rolling Stones, Surrey, England, 1982
‘This was taken at a rehearsal for their world tour that I had been asked to shoot for Observer Magazine. It was the first time I had worked with them since 1967. The band initially embraced me with bear hugs and for a few hours it was like the old days and was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, when I returned the next night to shoot a cover image the vibe had changed completely. Mick Jagger was in a foul mood, and Keith Richards accused me of reminding them of “bad times back in the day.” I never got the shot I was hoping for’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Sade, London, 1985
‘She seemed very self-assured and confident but was reserved and not particularly friendly. This was a shoot for the Sunday Express magazine and she gave me 30 minutes in a side room of a recording studio. I think she rather resented having to break off from her recording’ [• This caption was amended on 4 August 2026. An earlier version incorrectly said the photograph was taken for Mojo magazine]
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Eurythmics, Paris, 1986
‘I first met Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart when I was asked to shoot with their band the Tourists. They were always a joy to work with, endlessly creative and fun and the camera adored them! This shot is from my last session we did together and was used as the inspiration for the cover of their Revenge album. We shot it in Paris as they were touring at the time, and the simplicity of this composition with the contrast between the unadorned and incredibly beautiful Annie and the suited and rather uptight Amish look of Dave made for one of my favorite portraits’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Wham!, London, 1983
‘This portrait of Wham! was shot in my studio for the cover and pull-out poster for Smash Hits! magazine at the peak of Club Tropicana madness. I composed it so that the fans could hang the poster either way depending on which of the guys was their particular favorite. They were really collaborative but there was a reserve to George Michael which made it hard to tell if he actually enjoyed the session’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
Jimi Hendrix, London, 1967
’This was my first of two sessions that I did with Jimi in 1967. His first single Hey Joe hadn’t been a hit yet and he was still relatively unknown, but I wanted to treat him with respect and dignity and make a series of “serious” portraits that I hoped would capture the man rather than the performer. He was a wonderful and easy subject, very charming, modest and funny! He took to the fashions of the time as though everything had been designed for him - I don’t think he ever looked better than in these early few months’
Photograph: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images
